Universities are crucial catalysts for economic growth in the West Midlands and their success is integral to the cities and towns in which they are based. But the outlook for higher education in the UK is far from certain. Proposed reforms to tuition fees, a potential restriction on EU students and grant funding, combined with increased operating costs and pension commitments, all have the potential to create a perfect storm for the sector. 

These factors have been cited by some as reasons for a slowdown in higher education estates spending over the past 12 months. We gathered a roundtable of experts to discuss these issues, looking specifically at work universities, local authorities, and clinical and industry partners were doing to both link together complementary knowledge-driven assets, and work together on syllabuses.